Final preparations made for teen's double murder trial

Attorneys are making final preparations for the upcoming trial for a Davis teen accused of a double murder, which is scheduled to begin Monday morning.

Daniel Marsh, 17, appeared in court a second time this week, and is scheduled to return Friday morning as prosecutors and Marsh's attorney Ron Johnson continue to discuss trial, which is expected to take at least two weeks.

Marsh is accused of torturing and mutilating Oliver "Chip" Northup, 87, and his wife, Claudia Maupin, 76, inside their Davis condominium in April 2013. He changed his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity on June 2.

In light of this new plea, the trial date was continued to allow for a psychological evaluation of the teen by two medical professionals. The trial is scheduled to begin 9 a.m. on Monday in Department 6.

While the psychological evaluation from one analyst was filed weeks ago, the second psychiatrist hadn't done so by Monday's trial readiness conference, prompting Yolo County Superior Court Judge David Reed to schedule another conference, extending the deadline once again.

At Wednesday's conference, Reed said he received the second psychological report that morning, asking counsel if there were any other issues to report.

On Monday, Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Cabral raised the issue of discovery, stating Johnson has failed to provide discovery to the District Attorney's Office.

In particular, Cabral was concerned about a lack of information regarding the defense's expert witness.

Last week, Cabral received a one-page summary report from the expert, who was appointed in February.

The report, dated May 28, is the first piece of evidence prosecutors have received from this person and Cabral said he needed more.

"I have nothing," he said Monday, noting a lack of discovery has been a problem throughout the case.

Meanwhile, Cabral said the DA's Office has provided "thousands of pages" of discovery to the defense.

Taking action, Caral filed a motion for sanctions against Johnson during Wednesday's hearing. If the request is granted, Johnson will face penalties, usually monetary fines, for failing to follow the rules of the court and provide necessary information.

Reed scheduled another trial readiness conference at 9 a.m. on Friday to rule on the motion.

"We are still on target to start trial Monday," Reed said.

Marsh is charged with two counts of first degree murder with enhancements for using a "deadly or dangerous weapon," in this case a knife. There are also additional enhancements noting special circumstances for committing multiple murders, stating that Marsh "intentionally killed more than one victim." Enhancements for lying in wait and torture were also outlined in court documents. He faces 25-year prison terms for each murder count.

At the teen's preliminary hearing in September, details of Marsh's statements to officers came to light. The teenager allegedly confessed to stabbing each victim dozens of times and mutilating the bodies, telling investigators that "it just felt right."

Maupin had 67 stab wounds, while Northup had 61, according to Yolo County Chief Deputy Coroner Gina Moya.

The murder took place April 13, 2013. Marsh was arrested on June 17, 2013 in Davis. Though Marsh was 15 at the time, he is being tried as an adult.